“Son of God,” spun out of the hugely successful “The Bible” miniseries, plays up the political maneuvering that led to the crucifixion. It won an endorsement from the Anti-Defamation League's Abraham Foxman, one of the Jewish leaders who denounced Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster “Passion.”

“Clearly we were aware of the controversy that had been created around that film,” actress and executive producer Roma Downey said in a recent interview. “If everything begins with intention, our heart on 'Son of God' was to find the places that we could bring people together.”

Gibson famously self-financed and distributed his ultra-violent “Passion” in 2004. It became a box office hit but was criticized by some reviewers and religious leaders for its depiction of Jews.

Downey's husband, “The Voice” and “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett, said the Christian filmmaking team reached out specifically to other faiths to tell the story of the life of Jesus — played with an air of bemused dignity by Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado — without causing offense.

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“It just took a lot of work and a lot of time and a lot of listening over a number of years to see everybody's point of view and how to not take the teeth out of the story — the dynamic drama from the story — but be sensitive across groups,” Burnett said. “Because there's very different interpretations across the Catholic faith and the Protestant faith and the Jewish faith.”

Using footage shot during production of History Channel's ten-part miniseries “The Bible,” the film being released Friday spends much of its final half examining maneuvering by Jerusalem's military governor, Pontius Pilate, and Judean high priest Caiaphas.

“It's like 'House of Cards' in many ways,” Burnett said. “They're all humans living their lives ... Pilate is scared of Caesar and what Rome might do. Caiaphas is scared of Pilate and losing the whole temple and their faith. It's a real political thriller with tension which explodes at Passover in Jerusalem.”

Burnett credits his miniseries, which garnered strong ratings and broke DVD and Blu-ray sales records last year, with this year's flurry of biblical films from major Hollywood studios.

“You've got to believe that the enormity of 'The Bible' series had other biblical productions speed up,” he said.

Darren Aronofsky's take on “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe, is coming next month, and Ridley Scott's “Exodus,” with Christian Bale, is due out in December.

Minneapolis officer wounded in apparent targeted attack

The Associated Press

Posted:
02/21/2015 10:17:20 AM MST

Updated:
02/21/2015 08:57:34 PM MST

Click photo to enlarge

An officer searches with a dog accompanied by a SWAT team member after a Minneapolis police officer was shot , Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, in Minneapolis. Police say two officers were standing by their marked squad car after having handling a burglary call early in the day when someone shot one of them. The wounded officer's partner drove him to a hospital, where he's listed in satisfactory. No one is in custody. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, David Joles) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis police arrested a 43-year-old man Saturday after the early morning wounding of an officer who investigators believe was shot because he was a member of the police force.

The man was arrested on suspicion of violating his probation, burglary and aggravated domestic assault, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1Fb0whs). Any connection to the shooting early Saturday is still under investigation, assistant police chief Matt Clark said at an afternoon news conference.

According to police, the officer and his partner had just handled a burglary and domestic assault call and were standing by their squad car at around 5 a.m. when someone shot the officer. His partner drove him to a hospital, where he was in fair condition Saturday afternoon, Clark said.

The woman who made the 911 call reporting the apparent burglary and domestic assault was known to the man, according to police.

"It's clear to us that the officer was shot in response to the call," Clark said.

Chief Janee Harteau met with the officer and his family at the hospital, the department said in a news release.

"This is a reminder to all that every one of our officers face such danger simply because they choose to wear a uniform," she said in a statement.

In a news release, Mayor Betsy Hodges called the shooting a "cowardly act."

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PARIS (AP) — Bye, New York! Ciao, Milan! Bonjour, Paris! The world's largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap the ready-to-wear fashion season. Full Story